Friends are essential to have in your life. Real friends are always there for you, to cheer you up when you're down, to have fun with you... But sometimes life can be so busy, that we may abandon a good friendship. This article will tell you how to spend more time with those really important people you may not lose!

In this century, there are tons of ways to stay in touch with your friends. Make a phone call by either calling them on their mobile phone, or calling them for free using Skype (providing your friend uses Skype too), have a video conversation via an Instant Messenger program (such as Windows Live Messenger), send them an e-mail, text them (and maybe even include MMS-pictures if you have a camera phone, show them your new puppy you just got for your birthday or your new hair style you just got). As you can see; ways enough.
Hang out with your friends. Just another boring, but sunny sunday afternoon? Call them for a hang-out in the park just 5 minutes away, invite them to watch a movie or play that new computer game, at your home.
Do fun stuff with your friends! Organise events; go to the pub to have a nice drink, go eating in a restaurant or have a delicious pizza, go to the cinema to watch a movie that you both like, go to a concert of your favourite artist that you both like, or go swimming on a hot, sunny afternoon.
Show that you need them. If you have a good friend, for example, who is kind of geeky and knows how to solve computer problems, tell him/her you got a computer problem that you cannot solve, and invite him/her. That way, you'll meeting each other again + they feel good cause they have just helped a good friend. A win-win situation.
Surprise them! One of your friends birthday tomorrow? Buy a couple of flowers, a nice gift, or a beautiful birthday card, and go visit them to wish them a very happy birthday and to give them your gift.

When watching a movie, be sure you and your friend are liking the genre of the movie. You do not want to end up with a bored friend, or even worse: ending up watching a movie you do not even like yourself. Same counts for going to a concert; you must both like the artist or music genre.
When going to the pub to have a beer or two, pay their drinks. This will stimulate your friendship.

Only buy small gifts as a birthday present. You do not want to look desperate.
Don't phone/instant message/text them every single time, you will want to meet friends in real life too, every now and then, otherwise they'll just become an "internet buddy" or "virtual buddy". Real friends do meet up!